Road scraper



37- w. E. GLEDHILL 2,090,117

' FOAD SGRAPER Filed July 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l awwmboo A Z.Qiedfiili.

Aug. 17, 1937.

w. E. GLE DHILL ROAD SCRAPER Filed July 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m5.7am Z'ZZ;

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROAD SCRAPER WilliamE. Gledhill, Gallon, Ohio Application July 20,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to road scraping machines and more particularlyto a weight adjuster for the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a road I 5 scraping machinewith a weight adjuster which is so associated with the chassis and theroad engaging blades that the efifective weight applied to the scrapingblades may be controlled. This permits the road scraping machine to bevery 10 effectively adapted to the type of material from which the roadis formed and eliminates excessive drag and also undesirable wear uponthe blades and the runners forming part of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the weight adjustingmeans that it may be applied to a road scraper having a constructionsuch as shown in Patent No. 2,021,660, issued November 19, 1935 to E. C.Gledhill, et al., or to other road scraping machines of this generaltype. When a road scraper of the type referred to above is in use andadjusted so that the runners and blades are in engagement with thesurface of the road, the runners and the scraping blades are subjectedto the weight of the chassis and other elements of the machine. Thisweight I is often too great and causes excessive wear upon the runnersand the blades and also makes it very difiicult for a small truck, suchas a one and one-half ton truck, to drag the scraper along a road.

It is, therefore, another object of the invention to so construct theweight applying means that when the machine is in use, any desiredpressure 35 or weight may be applied to the blades and the runners andthis weight towhich they are subjected increased or decreased when foundnecessary to do so.

Another object of the invention is to provide 40 the road scrapingmachine with a weight regulating device which is simple in construction,strong and durable and very easy to adjust.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a view showing the improved road scraping machine in sideelevation.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the weight applying andregulating mechanism upon an enlarged scale and illustrating the mannerin 5 which it is adjusted by dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation looking from the right in Figure 2.

| Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

55 The road scraping machine on which the im- 1936, Serial No. 91,583

proved weight applying and regulating mechanism is mounted has achassis, indicated in general by the numeral I, and is provided with theusual chassis bars 2. Front and rear wheels 3 and 4 are provided andthere has also been provided a tongue 5 by means of which the roadscraper may be hitched behind a truck and drawn along a road. There havealso been provided elongated runners 6 corresponding to the runners ofthe road machine disclosed in Patent No. 2,021,660, issued November 19,1935, and also a scraper 1 corresponding to the road engaging scraper ofthe prior patent referred to above. The scraper is vertically adjustablerelative to the runners and has adjusting means correspond-- ing to theadjusting means disclosed .in the before mentioned patent and actuatedby shafts 8. In addition to adjusting the scraper relative to therunners, the runners and the scraper are shiftable vertically as a unitrelative to the chassis through the medium of the links or lever arms 9and the hydraulic lift 10. When such a machine is in use, it is drawnalong a road with the runners and the scraper in an elevated positionuntil the place of use has been reached."

The runners and the scraper are then lowered until the runners makecontact with the surface of the road and the scraper adjusted so that ascraping action takes place as the machine is dragged forwardly.Engagement of the runners with the surface of the road causes thechassis and the ground engaging wheels 3 and 4 to be shifted upwardlyand therefore the entire weight of the chassis and mechanism carriedthereby is brought to bear upon the runners. excessive weight to beapplied to the runners and the runners are quickly worn out. It has alsobeen found that it is very difficult to drag the road machine along theportion of the road to be worked upon with a small truck.

In order to overcome the objections noted above and permit the weight ofthe chassis to be supported by the road engaging wheels 3 and 4, whileat the same time, subjecting the scraper and the runners to sufficientpressure, the improved weight applying and controlling mechanismconstituting the subject-matter of this invention has been provided.This weight applying and controlling mechanism has been shown inoperative relation to the scraper and the chassis in Figure 1 and isillustrated in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Referring to Figures 1 and2 it will be seen that cross bars II and 12 formed of angle metal extendtransversely of the chassis and are secured to under faces of thechassis bars This causes 2. A hanger or bearing bracket l3 projectsforwardly from the cross bar It with its arms extending downwardly belowthe lower edge of the cross bar and serves as a mounting for a yoke l4which is pivotally mounted between arms of the hanger by pins l5. Theyoke is of an elongated U-shape formation and the lower ends of its armsare pivotally connected with the laterally extending upper end portionof a link l6 by a bolt H. The lower end of the link is pivotally mountedbetween bearing plates !8 by .a bolt l9, the bearing plates beingcarried by a bracket 20 rigidly carried by a portion of the scraper Iand from an inspection of Figure 2 it will be readily seen that pullexerted forwardly of the chassis upon the yoke I l will urge the upperend of the link [6 forwardly and pressure will be exerted downwardlyupon the scraper. By regulating the pressure exerted, the scraper may besubjected to a predetermined weight or pressure and the scraper causedto have the desired slicing and scraping engagement with the surface ofa road to remove high spots and cause the material scraped from thesehigh spots to be spread across the road and low spots filled. Therefore,a very good planing action will take place with the runners serving toprevent the scraperfrom sinking into low places in a road surface. Theweight of the chassis will be borne by the ground engaging wheels and,therefore, the pressure or weight applied to the scraper may becontrolled instead of the scraper and runners being subjected to theentire weight of the chassis and elements carried thereby as would bethe case if the ground engaging wheels were out of contact with theroad.

Force exerted against the yoke M is obtained from a strong helicalspring 2i which extends longitudinally of the chassis intermediate thewidth thereof between the cross bars H and I2. The forward end of thespring is engaged with a hook 22 at the rear end of a threaded stem 23which passes through an opening formed in the cross bar It and carriesnuts 24 by means of which the stem may be adjusted to regulate tensionof the spring. At its rear end, the spring is engaged through an openingformed in the shank 25 of the forks 26 which straddle the yoke I4, asshown clearly in Figure 3, with their rear ends pivotally mounted upon arod 21. This rod 2'! extends transversely of the yoke in engagement withthe rear edge faces of its arms and the intermediate portion of the rodis welded or otherwise fixedly secured to a nut 28 disposed between thearms of the yoke and threaded upon an adjusting shaft 29. The shaft 29extends longitudinally of the yoke between arms thereof with its upperportion journaled through the bridge 39 of the yoke with its upper endportion protruding from the yoke and carrying a hand wheel 3| by meansof which the shaft may be turned. When the hand wheel is turned torotate the shaft, the nut will be shifted longitudinally of the yoke andthe forks 26 will be shifted with the nut longitudinally of the yoke.Therefore, the distance between the pivotal mounting of the yoke and thepoint at which the rod 21 engages edge faces of the arms of the yoke maybe adjusted and leverage regulated. When the forks are in the positionshown in full lines in Figure 2, the greatest leverage will be exertedand as the nut is shifted upwardly to move the forks towards theposition indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, the leverage will begradually reduced until the forks reach the dotted line position whereno leverage is exerted and the scraper will not be subjected to weightor pressure by the springs. It will thus be seen that the weight ordownward pressure to which the scraper is subjected may be accuratelycontrolled. A very good scraping or planing action takes place withoutthe runners being subjected to excessive wear by frictional engagementwith the surface of the road. This also permits the scraper to be drawnalong the road by a small truck during a scraping operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a road machine, a chassis having ground engaging wheels, groundengaging runners extending longitudinally of said chassis and shiftablevertically into and out of engagement with the ground, a scraper carriedby said runners and extending under the chassis transversely thereof, atoggle structure extending vertically and pivotally connected with thechassis and the scraper, and spring actuated means for applying pressureupon the toggle structure in a direction to straighten the same, thesaid means being shiftable longitudinally of one member of the toggleinto position to exert predetermined downward pressure upon the scraper.

2. A road machine comprising a chassis having ground engaging wheels,runners extending longitudinally of the chassis and shiftable verticallytowards and away from the ground, a scraper. carried by said runners andextending under the chassis transversely thereof, a toggle structuremounted between the chassis and scraper, a power spring, and aconnection between the spring and toggle shiftable longitudinally of onemember of the toggle whereby leveragemay be controlled and the scrapersubjected to predetermined downward pressure.

3. In a road machine, a chassis having ground engaging traction members,runners extending longitudinally of said chassis, a scraper carried bysaid runners and shiftable vertically relative to the runners, a togglestructure mounted between the chassis and scraper and when moved in astraightening direction exerting downward pressure upon the scraper, andspring actuated means for urging the toggle in a straightening directionhaving a connection shiftable longitudinally of one member of the togglewhereby leverage exerted thereon may be regulated.

4. In a road machine, a chassis having road engaging wheels,runnersextending longitudinally of said chassis, a scraper carried by saidrunners and extending under the chassis, a toggle structure having anupper member pivoted to the chassis and a lower member pivoted to theupper member and to the scraper, a power spring, and an anchor for saidspring connected with the upper toggle member and shiftablelongitudinally thereof whereby leverage may be controlled and the togglecaused to exert predetermined downward pressure upon the scraper.

5. In a road machine, a chassis, runners extending longitudinally of thechassis, a scraper carried by said runners and extending under thechassis transversely thereof, a toggle structure having a lower linkpivoted to said scraper and an upper yoke pivoted to said chassis andhaving its lower end pivoted to the upper end of the lower link, a powerspring having one end connected with said chassis, an anchor connectedwith the other end of said spring, and a mount ing for said anchorcarried by and shiftable along i'Z5 said yoke whereby leverage betweenthe anchor and yoke may be regulated and the spring caused to exertpredetermined downward pressure upon the scraper.

6. In a road machine, a chassis, runners extending longitudinally ofsaid chassis, a scraper carried by said runners and extending under thechassis transversely thereof, and means for applying controlled downwardpressure upon said scraper, said pressure applying means comprising atoggle structure disposed vertically between the scraper and chassis andhaving an upper yoke pivoted to said chassis and a lower link pivoted atits lower end to the scraper and having its upper end pivotallyconnected with the lower end of said yoke, a shaft extendinglongitudinally of said yoke and being rotatably carried thereby andthreaded, a mounting threaded. upon said shaft and having movementlongitudinally of the yoke to adjusted positions thereon. when the shaftis rotated, a spring having one end connected with said chassis, and ananchor for the other end of said spring connected with said mounting.

7. In a road machine, a chassis, runners extending longitudinally of thechassis, a scraper carried by said runners and extending underthechassis transversely thereof, and means for subjecting the scraper topredetermined downward pressure consisting of a toggle structure havinga lower link pivoted at its lower end to said scraper and an upper yokepivoted intermediate its ends to said chassis and having its lower endpivotally connected with the upper end of said link, a shaft extendinglongitudinally of said yoke between arms thereof and rotatably carriedby the yoke, a block in threaded engagement with said shaft disposedbetween the arms of said yoke and held against rotation thereby wherebythe block will be shifted longitudinally of the yoke when the shaft isturned, a rod carried by said block and having end portions projectingfrom opposite sides thereof beyond arms of the yoke in engagement withedge faces of the arms of the yoke, a fork straddling said yoke andpivotally connected with the projecting end portions of said rod, saidfork extending forwardly from the yoke and having an eye at its forwardend, a spring extending longitudinally of said chassis with its rear endengaged through the eye of said fork, and a mounting for the forward endof said spring carried by said chassis and adjustable longitudinallythereof for regulating tension of said spring.

WILLIAM E. GLEDHILL.

